Tahki Yarns Bray Cowl Knitting Pattern

Tahki Yarns Bray Cowl

What Is Being Made

The Bray Cowl is a seamless, tube-shaped neck accessory designed by Rosemary Drysdale. This one-size cowl measures 21 inches in circumference and 8 inches in height, making it a versatile layering piece suitable for various neckline styles. The cowl is worked in the round from the bottom up, creating a continuous tube without seams.

Knitting Techniques

This pattern employs several intermediate to advanced knitting techniques:

• Seamless, in-the-round construction: The cowl is worked continuously in circular rounds using a 16-inch circular needle, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a polished, professional finish.
• Stranded colorwork (Fair Isle): The pattern features a 23-round Fair Isle chart with four colors, requiring the knitter to strand unused yarn across the back of the work. The pattern notes emphasize maintaining loose, even tension when stranding to prevent puckering and ensure the fabric lies flat.
• Gauge adjustment: The pattern recommends temporarily switching to a larger needle size while working the Fair Isle chart to accommodate the increased fabric density created by stranded colorwork, then returning to the original needle size afterward.
• Bottom-up construction: The cowl begins with a cast-on edge at the base and progresses upward to the finished height.

Stitches Used

The Bray Cowl incorporates two primary stitch patterns:

• Stockinette Stitch (St st): Smooth, V-textured knit fabric created by alternating knit and purl rows (or knit rounds when working in the round). This stitch forms the base fabric of the cowl and provides an ideal canvas for the Fair Isle colorwork.
• K2, P2 Rib: An elastic ribbed pattern worked over a multiple of 4 stitches, alternating 2 knit stitches with 2 purl stitches. Ribbing appears at both the bottom edge (8 rounds) and the top edge (8 rounds) of the cowl, providing stretch and recovery for comfortable wear around the neck.

Materials and Specifications

The Bray Cowl is constructed using premium yarn and appropriate needles for the fiber content:

• Yarn: One skein each of Tahki Yarns Donegal Tweed Fine in four colors: tan (#2715), light teal (#2724), dark red (#2719), and plum (#2712). This yarn blend contains 70% wool and 30% mohair, offering warmth, softness, and a subtle textured appearance. Each skein weighs 1.75 ounces (50 grams) and yields 218 yards (199 meters).
• Needles: Size 4 (3.5 mm) circular needle, 16 inches long, or the size required to achieve the specified gauge. As noted above, a larger needle may be temporarily used during the Fair Isle section.
• Notions: A stitch marker for marking the beginning of rounds and a yarn needle for weaving in ends during finishing.
• Gauge: 23 stitches and 38 rounds measure 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for the cowl to fit properly at the specified circumference and height.

Pattern Construction Overview

The cowl construction follows a logical progression: 120 stitches are cast on and joined for working in the round. The piece begins with 8 rounds of K2, P2 ribbing to create a stretchy, finished lower edge. The knitter then works in stockinette stitch until the piece reaches 4.5 inches in height. The 23-round Fair Isle chart is then worked, introducing the four-color stranded colorwork design. After completing the chart, one round is worked in the main color (A) only, followed by 8 final rounds of K2, P2 ribbing at the top. All stitches are bound off loosely in pattern to maintain the elasticity of the ribbed edge. The finished cowl is blocked to measurements and all yarn ends are woven in for a polished appearance.